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New Water Pipeline For Jarrahdale

Plan Started: 12th August 2010 Plan Location: Category: Local Area

"On a reccent 14km walk with the Heritage Society in Jarrahdale I walked part of the way along the pipeline that feeds the tow..."

Plan by: Kim Petersen

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Case Study

This is a Jarrahdale Community Association plan

Plan Description:

On a reccent 14km walk with the Heritage Society in Jarrahdale I walked part of the way along the pipeline that feeds the town it's water supply. I can't even begin to explain to you the sick feeling that washed over me as I looked at the rusted pipe heavily taped and repaired for considerable distance. Walkers would put sticks in the holes to stop the water leaking. I can hardly believe the words i am saying. Next to the rusted pipe carrying the towns water lay a smaller pipe housing the electrical wire that triggers the switch to fill the three town tanks when the reserves are low. This wiring lay exposed following the lay of the land for quite a distance. In the event of a bushfire it would melt cutting off the signal to fill the tanks and the town would have less than 4 hours worth of water ( normal use) to fight a bushfire. Heavy erosion from the winter rains has made the road used by firetrucks to defend the pipe and wire impossible to get to. One side of the road you can stand waist deep in and it is on a very steep slope.

My Big reasons are:

I want to save lives. I don't want to live in a town heavily surrounded by forest and fuel full of families knowing that in a bushfire we have no means of defending ourselves. Our town must have a reliable source of water. twice last fire season our water supply was cut off and effected by this situation. This situation is potentially a matter of life and death. After the Victorian bushfires we need to be thinking about every possible thing we can do to minimise risk.

My plan will be a success when:

When the Jarrahdale town has a brand new pipeline feeding the residents water with good pressure and the electrical wire triggering the pump to refill the tanks is housed in a fire safe metal pipe.

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My plan success story

1. Now you’ve marked your plan a success, what about it makes you most proud?

I am so proud of this plan being marked successful because I had absolutely no idea how I was ever going to be able to pull it off. What I was proposing cost over a million dollars. I am just a mum with 5 kids who knew that what I saw was so dangerous for the lives of my children and the residents of Jarrahdale. I couldn't walk by and ignore what was going on. The only way I could get help was to expose it and with the support of PlanBig , the media,my local member Tony Simpson and the Serpentine jarrahdale Council we made it happen!!!!!

2. What challenges did you face on your journey and what have you learned?

My biggest challenge was to keep this story in the press and in the minds of the key players who had the power to fix the problem. I also wanted Jarrahdale residents to know just how dangerous this situation was and to support me in getting it fixed.

3. What are some ways that PlanBig has helped you?

I had some supporters and I didn't want to let them down. i promised them i would fix this problem. i didn't know how long it would take...years and years. But I did know that i wasn't going to give up until I had achieved what i set out to do. PlanBig allowed me to upload pictures to the gallery of the terrible condition of the pipeline for all to see. I could upload media releases and water corp updates and send the link to the plan to contacts i needed to see what i was up against. PlanBig is my constant supporter and I never feel alone on my journey.

4. Is there anything else you'd like to share?

Yes . From a budget of $0 dollars a year and a half ago....I now have $1.2 million dollars committed to be spent on upgrading the Jarrahdale Water Pipeline. it just goes to show that the impossible is truly possible if you believe strongly enough and your determined to put the effort in to make it a reality. I am pinching myself with excitement!!!